Pump driving mechanism



April 30, 1957 A. QUAYLE 2,790,335

PUMP DRIVING MECHANISM Filed April 7, 1953 s snetS-sheet 1 f al f5 54'/ hwentaf:

4mm/m5@ @am/5, @md/ww April 30, 1957 A. QUAYLE 2,790,335

PUMP DRIVING MECHANISM Filed April '7, 1953 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 i Inventar' Q 4MM/W5@ 2am/5,

PUMP DRIVING MECHANISM Alexander Quayle, Dallas,-Tex.,-assignor to United States Steel Corporation, a corporation of New Ilersey Application April 7, 1953, Serial No.53475339 "7Claims, (Cl. 714-665) This invention relates to improvements in driving mechanisms for pumps in-well drilling installations.

This application is a continuationimpart of my'earlier copending applicaton'Serial'No. 149,765, tiled March 15, 1950.

Larger well drilling installations commonly include two or more engines .and la compounding unit which transmits power from these:engines to the hoist and the pumps and sometimes to the rotary. Thev compounding unit enables any engine .or combination of engines to drive anyof these instrumentalities. In previous installations with which I am familiar, the pumps have been connected to thecompounding unit eithervwithout' variable speed transmissions or else the Yunithas included permanent variable speed transmissions to .which vthe pumps are connected, as shown for example in Spalding Patent No. 2,488,069. These arrangements have the disadvantages that -the two types of installations Vrequire compounding units which are constructed differently, and that one type cannot be converted to the other.

An object of the present invention is to-provide improved compounding units that have demountable variable speed transmissions for driving the pumps, thereby enabling such `a unit to operate as a single speed apparatus for driving the pumps on removal of the variable speed transmission. y

A further object of fthe `invention is to provide improved compounding units which enable units of identical construction to drive the pumps either as a single speed apparatus or via a variable speed transmission.

A furtherobject of the invention is to provide improved variable speed transmissions for connecting a compounding unit and pumps and being removable so that the pumps can be connected to the compounding unit directly. i

In accomplishing these and other objects of the invention, I have provided improvedldetails-of structure, preferred forms of which are shownin the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a top plan view of a compounding unit, engines,` and pumps in which the unit is equipped with variable speedtransmission according to one embodiment of the present invention; Y i

Figure 2 is a vertical sectional view taken substantially on line lI-II of Figure l;

Figure 3 is a side elevational view of a variable speed transmission of modified construction;

Figure 4 is a top plan view of the transmission shown in Figure 3;

Figures 5 and 6 are side elevational views of variable speed transmissions of other modified constructions; and

Figure 7 is a top plan view of -theunit with the variable States Patent() atented Apr. 30, 1957 2 :sions` 15, 16vand-'17-aligned with-these respectiveiengines. Shaft iexetnsion .--1-5fhas 1a power "output means l 18 v` for driving the lhoist,"1n'ot shown. 'The unitV also drives-"two pumps :19 and 20, The-'unit has the usual clutches for engaging or disengaging the engines-and the `driven -instrumentalities'and also the usual-mechanism for interconnecting -wthe 'shaft extensions; y In fthis' instance the engines, compounding unit,l and "pumpsare mounted `on r'ce skidswhi'c'h enable 'the installation to'be `assembled Lor.

dismantled-rea'dily;Y The compounding unit skid is shown 'at l21 and rests'on-an elevated framework 22. vThe PumPskids'are-shown-at-ZSfand24.

In-accordance with-the embodiment of 'the invention shown in Figures 1 and72,'a demountable variablespeed transmission 25 is removably bolted to skid 21V and has power input means detachably coupled to shaft extension 16. yThe'transmission has a' power take-oifi26, whichii'n y i this instanceextends outwardly' away from the-"engines 12, 13 and V414. AFlexible belts -27 connect saidpow'er take-off with a drive sheave 28 on pump Y'1.9.' A separate demountable variable speed transmission 29 is removablyib'olted toskid 521alongside transmission 25 andhas power input-meansdetachably coupled to shaft extension 17. This "latter transmission has-a power yfalde-oit l30',`

which in thisinstance extends in the oppositev direction frointhe power take-oif-Z inwardlytoward ytheengines; Flexible belts 31 'connectA said-latter power take-olf' with a drive sheave`32 lon pump 2G. The variable speed transmissions' and i29 can embody any standard mechanism which is capablef 'furnishing at least two forward 'speed Y ratios,` and'preferably are of Ylike construction except ythat speed transmissions removed and driving the pump as aV their'powerl take-offs extend from opposite sides.

V1Figures 3 land 4 show a 'modification iu which 'the variable lspeedtransr'nissions have their own skids 33 and 34 which in turn rest on the compounding unit skid" 21. Gthe'rwisefthese transmissions kare similar to vthe transmissions of the embodiment shown in VFigures land 2. nFigure `5 shows another modiiication in vwhich -both variable speed transmissions are carried in a common' housing 35 which is removably bolted' to'thecompoundingunit skid 21, the same 'asthe'individual transmissionhousings shownin Figures 1 and 2.

Figure 6, shows another-modificationin which both' variable speed transmissionsxare vcarried-in aV common housing '36 and in which'the housinghas its own skid 37.

This skid' rests 'onthe compounding unit skid v21, the same as 'the individualtransmission skids in Figures 3 an'd 4.

Figure 7 shows my-improved compounding u'nitwith the variable speed transmissions removed ,and operating asa single speed apparatus. Removal of these transmis'- sions leaves the shaft extensions 16 and 17, to which they are otherwise coupled, accessible for connectionV with the pumps' 19 and 20'to enable the unit to operate as asingle speed4 apparatus in'driving vthese pumps. The connection illustrated includes a'p'air of base Aplates A and B detachably mounted on lthe compounding unit skid, aligned bearings 38 and 39 carried by base plate A, aliguedbe'arin'gsqiw` and .41 carriedby base'platefB, 'a stub shaft@ which is Vrotatably "mounted .in lthe rsttwofbearings and detachabl'y :copled't'o the shaft-'extension life, and fa "stub shaft 43 which is rotatably mounted in the last two bearings and .detachably coupled to the yshaft extension 17.-f.

Stub shafts 42 and 43 ca'rrrypower take-offs l44 andai respectively. Belts 46 and connect these power take- I offswith the drive sheaves of the two pumps. Base plate f tating afchangeover from single speed to variable speed or vice versa. Similarly base plate B, bearings 4i) and 41 and shaft 43 are constructed as a unit. Also it is apparent that with the embodiments of Figures l to 4, one of the pumps can be driven via a variable speed transmision and the other via a stub shaftif such an arrangement is desired.

During the drilling of a well with an assembly like that shown 'in Figure 7, it may become desirable to introduce one or more variable speed transmissions to `furnish greater exibility in the operation of the pumps to meet conditions not anticipated when the well was started. The unit assemblies enable such a change to be made with a minimum of delay. Flexibility i'n manufacture also results, since with one design of skid it is possible to furnish oneVV or two single speed pump drives, one or two variable speedrpump drives, or one of each with the variable speed at either location. Any of these arrangements may be requiredto meet special operating conditions. These changes can be made without-expensivejand time consuming machining or weldingi on the main assembly. l

VWhile'i have shownonly certain preferred Vembodiments of the invention, it is apparent that modifications may arise. Therefore, I do not wish to be limited 'to the disclosure set forth but only by, the scope of the appended claims. f p

' I claim:

Afcompounding unit comprising va supporting base, a plurality of shaft extensionsrotatablysupported above said base and adapted tov be connected to engines `to be 4. An installation as defined in claim 3 in which the two variable speed transmissions have two individual housings removably mounted on said base.

5. An installation as deiined in claim 3 in which the two variable speed transmissions have one common housing removably mounted on said Vbase.

6. A well drilling installation comprising a plurality of engines, a compounding unit, and a pump, said compounding unit including a supporting base, a plurality of spaced parallel shaft extensions rotatably supported above said base and each connected at its inner end to a diierent one of said engines, power transmission mechanism interconnecting said shaft extensions, a variable speed transmission having power input means and power take-olf means, means removably mounting said variable speed transmission on said base adjacent the outer end of one of said shaft extensions, means detachably coupling the outer end of this shaft extension to the power input means of said variable speed transmission, and means connecting the power take-off means'of said variable speed transmission with said pump for driving the latter, removal of said variable speed transmission leaving the outer end of the shaft extension to which it isotherwise coupled driven thereby, power transmission mechanism interconf' necting said shaft extensions, a pair of variable speed transmissions each constructed as aremovable unit having power input means and power take-oit means, means removably mounting said variable speed transmissions on said base, and means detachably coupling the power paratus for driving the pumps.

3.,A well drilling installation comprising a plurality of engines, a compounding unit, and a pair of pumps,

accessible for connection with said pump to enable said unit to operate as part of a single speed apparatus for driving said pumps.

7. A well drilling installation comprising a plurality of engines, a compounding unit, andl a pair of pumps, said compounding unit including a supporting base, a plurality of spaced parallel shaft extensions rotatably supported above said base and each connected at its inner end to a different one of said engines, power transmission mechanism interconnecting said shaft extensions, a pair of variable speed transmissions each having power input means and power take-off means, means removably mounting said variable speed transmissions on said base adjacent the outer ends of two of said shaft extensions,

" means detachably coupling the outer ends of these shaft extensions to the power input means of said variable speed transmissions, thepower take-olf means of one of said variable speed transmissions extending outwardly `away from the engines and that of the other extending in the opposite direction back toward the engines, and

said compounding unit including a supporting base, a

plurality of spaced parallel shaftextensions rotatably supported above said base and each Aconnected at its inner end to a different one of said engines, power transmission mechanism interconnecting said shaft extensions,

a pair of variable speed transmissions each having power Y Y means connecting 'each of said power take-olf means with a different one of said pumps for driving the latter, removal of said variable speed transmissions leaving the outer ends -of the two shaftextensions `to which they are otherwise coupled 'accessible for connection with said pumps to enable said unit to operate as part of a single speed apparatus for driving said pumps whereby said unit can drive Vsaid pumps as a single speed apparatus on removal of said variable speed transmissions.

References Cited in the vtile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

